motorcycle rim/tire questions

[--weezl--]

the tires on my bike both have tubes in them (i'm about 99% sure) i need to change the rear tire, as it's incredibly bald, but the issue i've got is balancing it, i'm planning on changing the tires myself, i was going to go the dyna beads route, using airsoft bb's, which of course won't work with tubes, so i was planning on taking the tube out, and just running it tubeless (tubeless rim and tire, but for some reason has a tube) the question i'm having right now, is what do i do about a valve stem? can you just use a normal car valve stem, or is there motorcycle specific stems?

there is an off chance that it is tubeless and i am getting worried over nothing, but i won't know till the bike is disassembled, which i can't then go run to get parts, or take the wheel to the shop to be done by them, as the truck needs a new battery, and the bike is my only mode of transportation right now

 

[wr250rdr]

Depending on where you are check
And see if you have a local cycle gear, they will sell you a valve stem for 2.99 I believe ( at least that's what it was when I worked there) also is your rim a solid or spoked design? If it is spoked thats why there is a tube and it would need to stay tubed, also even if the valley has been Sealed most people still run a tube because of the likelihood of leaks.

 

[kevinsranger]

cant you take the valve stem core out of the tube and fill the tube itself with air soft bb's?

 

[wr250rdr]

No that would add a lot of weight
To the rim, usually to balance out a rim it's maybe an ounce of weight. 2 or 3 if it's way out of true.

 

[--weezl--]

that store doesn't exist around here, the airsoft bb's are larger than the valve stem

its a tubeless solid rim

 

[wr250rdr]

Most shops will sell you a valve stem for under 5 bucks and most will also balance free. My local dealers will even balance free. I would advise against the bb method. I have seen them eat tires from the inside out. As they spin in the tire they pick up rubber. I have pulled a ball of rubber out of a tire the size of a dime before.

 

[--weezl--]

hmmm, i don't like the sound of that...

apparently the owner of the 4x4 club knows someone important at one of the other dealerships, so i'm going to maybe borrow the roommate's truck next week, and take the mounted tire (new one) to the shop, see if they will balance it for me for cheap...

 

[feellnfroggy]

did you ever sort this out? you never said what kinda bike. if it has spoke wheels leave the tube in. you can mount the tires yourself, but it should be dirt cheap to find someone to balance them.

 

[--weezl--]

forgot all about this thread... got it unmounted, a small piece of 2x4 worked to get the tire off the rim, once the bead was broken... it was NOT a fun job i'll tell you what...

to break the bead, i tried the long ass board under the wheel of the truck, and prying down on a 2x4 to break it, no dice tried jumping on it, nope, tried putting all my weight on a 2x4 standing up on end, on the bead (i'm 210lbs) no dice...

when i tried prying with the board, i was pushing down on a 8 foot long 2x10, and literally had ALL of my weight on the end of it, and the pivot point only 2 feet from the anchor point, this resulting in wood breaking noises...

i even tried this, this is a 12 ton bottle jack, and i used as many 2x4's as i could to take up space, i basically could squish the tire down the entire distance of the travel on the jack: (keep in mind as i push down, the truck suspension lifts)

what it eventually took to break the bead was this:

with the high lift, i actually lifted one of the back wheels off the ground, before the bead started to move

 

[GoMopar440]

Sounds like you already got the hardest part taken care of (dismounting the tire). Napa carries a MC specific valve stem for tubeless applications which is part# 90-426. It has a .327 diameter stem and 1&3/16" effective length. http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/R...Ntk=Keyword&Nty=1&Dn=0&D=90-426&Dk=1&Dp=3&N=0

Tubes can be used in tubless wheel and tire setups but are harder to balance that way. Just check the tire for holes and patch it if needed. That is assuming the tire has any useable tread left.

FWIW: I use this to break the beads on all the bike tires I change. http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/tire-wheel/bead-breaker-92961.html

Then I use this to get the tires off and on afterwards. http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/tire-wheel/portable-tire-changer-69686.html There's a motorcycle specific tire attachment for this thing that I don't see on their website anymore. I'm not sure if they still make them or not.

 

[--weezl--]

new tire is on the bike...